On This Day, August 26: Vic and Sade
Also featured: Arch Oboler, Mindwebs.
August 26 Exhaustive Update
This report documents the comprehensive provenance, broadcast scheduling, commercial sponsorship, credited cast, production personnel, alternate circulating titles, serial multi-part narrative arcs, and story synopses for historical broadcasts transmitting on August 26 across American network, syndicated, and educational radio, Paul Rhymer's masterwork Vic and Sade across three classic episodes (play money, Uncle Fletcher guarding the porch, and weekend Plant 14 ledger sheets for Crisco), Martin Gabel portraying composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky on Arch Oboler's Plays, Michael Hansen narrating Malcolm Edwards' dystopian sci-fi vision on Mindwebs, and Myrtle Vail's Myrt and Marge (1939–1979):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Funny Money (Art Van Harvey & Bernardine Flynn — Crisco Vic & Sade)" | NBC Red (WMAQ) 1940-08-26 3:45 PM EDST |
Procter & Gamble Crisco & Ivory Flakes |
Art Van Harvey, Bernardine Flynn, Billy Idelson | Paul Rhymer, Roy Winsor, Ralph Edwards | ["Comedy", "Sitcom", "Domestic", "Americana", "Short Form"] |
"Vic and Sade, radio's home folks, brought to you by Crisco!" Rush receives a set of stage prop play money from his school chum Smelly Clark and attempts to convince Vic and Sade that he discovered a fortune buried under the porch, leading to deadpan household banter for Crisco. |
| "Uncle Fletcher the Protector (Clarence Hartzell & Art Van Harvey — Crisco)" | NBC Red (WMAQ) 1941-08-26 3:45 PM EDST |
Procter & Gamble Crisco Vegetable Shortening |
Art Van Harvey, Bernardine Flynn, Clarence Hartzell | Paul Rhymer, Roy Winsor, Ralph Edwards | ["Comedy", "Sitcom", "Domestic", "Americana", "Short Form"] |
"Vic and Sade, written by Paul Rhymer and presented by Crisco!" Eccentric, rambling Uncle Fletcher insists on standing guard on the front porch with a broom handle to protect the Gook household from phantom burglars, chatting amiably about people who died thirty years ago in Dixon, Illinois. |
| "Vic's Office Work at Home (Art Van Harvey & Bernardine Flynn — Mutual)" | Mutual (WGN) 1946-08-26 10:15 AM EDT |
Sustaining Daytime Comedy Serial |
Art Van Harvey (Vic), Bernardine Flynn (Sade) | Paul Rhymer, Charles Schenck, Ed Roberts | ["Comedy", "Sitcom", "Domestic", "Americana", "Short Form"] |
"Vic and Sade, the small house halfway up in the next block!" Vic brings home a towering stack of Plant 14 ledger sheets from the kitchen cabinet factory to balance over the weekend, only to be utterly derailed by Sade's endless gossip about neighborhood thimble club meetings. |
| "This Lonely Heart: The Life of Tchaikovsky (Martin Gabel — Arch Oboler)" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1939-08-26 8:30 PM EDST |
Sustaining Dramatic Radio Anthology |
Martin Gabel (Tchaikovsky), Betty Caine | Arch Oboler, Gordon Jenkins | ["Drama", "Historical", "Biographical", "Classics", "Music"] |
"Arch Oboler's Plays! Written and directed by Arch Oboler!" In the sweeping biographical drama 'This Lonely Heart', Arch Oboler traces the passionate, platonic 14-year correspondence between Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and his wealthy patroness Nadezhda von Meck, set against the stirring orchestral themes of his Fourth Symphony. |
| "The Machine in Shaft Ten by Malcolm Edwards (Michael Hansen — Mindwebs)" | WHA Radio (NPR) 1979-08-26 11:00 PM CDT |
Sustaining Public Radio Sci-Fi |
Michael Hansen (Host/Narrator) | Malcolm Edwards, Michael Hansen | ["Sci-Fi", "Dystopian", "Speculative", "Short Form", "Anthology"] |
"Mindwebs, exploring the limitless realms of speculative fiction and science fantasy, produced at WHA Radio!" Michael Hansen narrates Malcolm Edwards' haunting dystopian sci-fi story 'The Machine in Shaft Ten', following miners in a desolate subterranean industrial future who discover a sentient ancient machine operating deep in the subterranean shafts. |
| "Billie Makes Damaging Statements About Myrt (Myrtle Vail — Backstage Revue #16)" | Syndicated 1946-08-26 (Transamerican #16) |
Local Merchants Backstage Broadway Drama |
Myrtle Vail (Myrt), Helen Mack (Marge) | Myrtle Vail, Matt Crowley | ["Drama", "Vaudeville", "Domestic", "Show Business", "Short Form"] |
"Myrt and Marge, the beloved story of the theatrical world, written by Myrtle Vail!" In the ongoing backstage melodrama, jealous chorus rival Billie spreads vicious rumors to theatrical producers about veteran showgirl Myrt's loyalty to the company, threatening her position in the upcoming Broadway musical revue. Note: Multi-part serial narrative arc (Backstage Broadway Revue — Episode 16). |